PSI
Blog 20181212 Where does Infinite Universe Theory get us?
In
a piqué over the general lack of interest in IUT, I asked
Rick (Director of the Michigan Office) this question.
As
usual, Rick put it on the line in the way only he can do it:
I'd
say IUT gets us to logical reasoning in all areas of philosophy. IUT is a
devastating blow against immaterialism and indeterminism, for those with
ears to hear it.
There
are many podcasting atheists out there who I enjoy listening to, but some of
them talk about a "respectable" Jungian value that religion and
spirituality bring to humankind. Some sense of purpose or sense of wonder. BS!
I couldn't disagree more.
I
think even the most harmless, touchy-feely, lovey-dovey, new-age "I'm not
religious, but I'm spiritual" preacher perpetuates immaterialism,
anti-naturalism, and anti-life. It's the poison that Plato injected into our
cultural thinking long ago. All his highly-respected talk about
"non-physical forms" that are the "true reality". That kind of attitude leads to unnecessary suffering in so many
non-religious pursuits - technological, political, cultural…you name it. It
leads people to worship words instead of matter, after-life instead of life
here and now. I about puke when someone says at a funeral, "she's in a
better place now".
I'll
paraphrase something that comes to mind, "Materialism builds jet
airliners. Immaterialism flies jet airliners into buildings." Or how
about, "Good people do good things, bad people do bad things, but only
religion and politics make good people do bad things"? Religion and
politics are cultural insanity brought on by indeterminism and immaterialism.
People
think it's admirable to believe weird and spooky ideas without any proof except
the family tradition or cultural "norms". Stories made up by
cave-dwellers or sheep-herders sitting around the campfire. So, if female
genital mutilation is a "tradition", it must be hunky dory. If honor
killings are considered sacred, go for it. If everyone says "support the
troops" instead of "bring home the troops", we're in trouble if
we make any observations about how military adventurism wastes lives, money,
resources, time, and energy. (Not to mention the mega-pollution from depleted
Uranium and other toxic chemicals used in warfare.)
My
idea of fun:
With
the upsurge in the popular belief in ghosts, I like to ask believers if their
pet ghosts are affected at all by gravity or physical barriers like walls and
floors. When they say, "no they are not affected by gravity or
walls", I tell them that if that's so, the ghosts would go flying past us
at 1,000 mph, as gravity holds us mere mortals to the earth while it rotates.
And then I throw in the idea that we physical beings who are affected by
gravity and inertia are traveling 66,000 mph, thanks to gravity keeping us
attached to the earth as it orbits the sun. Any "non-physical entity"
not affected by gravity would zip right past us at incredible speed. (And I
don't use that word "incredible" lightly. It's such an overused
word.)
Happy
holidays,
Rick
Doogie